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Badlao
Foundation have organized women organizations called Mahila
Sabha (MS) at the village or tola (hamlets) levels. The MS
functions as a watchdog for the implementation of developmental
projects in the community ranging from education, watershed
development, agricultural and forest plantation, natural
resource management, and livelihood programmes. Currently,
Badlao Foundation has 534 active MS throughout all the six
districts of Santhal Parganas division of Jharkhand State,
India. The MS have been organized into block, district and state
level federations, which are actively involved in advocacy work
for women’s and tribals’ rights.
534 Mahila Sabhas (MS) with 9000
members. Mahila Sabhas have been organized at five levels i.e.
at Village, Block, Panchayat, District and State level in its
operational area.
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Implements
Development Programmes for social, political, economic and
cultural empowerment of women.
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Fights against
atrocities and exploitation.
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Advocates
property rights for the tribal women and gender equality.
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Works for the
self-reliance of the community.
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Promotes
linkages with income security schemes of Govt. and other
agencies.
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Strives for
solution of village problems at village level.
Badlao
Foundation’s livelihood development programme has succeeded in
inculcating savings habit among women and gradually facilitated
linking them with financial institutions or government-sponsored
programmes for Income-Generating Projects (IGPs). That
has in turn raised their level of income both at individual
level as well as at family level.
In the context of women empowerment and development initiatives,
Badlao Foundation always takes a holistic approach. Mahila
Sabha (women’s organization) is at the core of managing all
development programmes at grass root level. Mahila Sabha is the
pioneer institution set up by Badlao Foundation through which
all the programmes are launched, conducted and brought to
completion. Mahila Sabha is considered as a well-knit platform
through which the programme is activated. For sustainability,
self-reliance and exit protocol, Mahila Sabha becomes the
standard-bearer.
Leadership has emerged among MS
members and they have come forward to participate in different
fronts. They are now the decision makers and planners taking
decision in the implementation of project and planning
especially for women and children for development initiatives in
their communities. This has gradually improved the over all
status of women in the villages where Badlao Foundation operates
and assures better quality of life.
Presently, 534 MS have been formed
in 534 villages in the 6 districts Badlao works in. The main
activities of these groups are micro-credit, thrift and savings.
Funds are revolved as women take loans for petty businesses,
such as handicraft-making, poultry and pig rearing,
leaf-plate making, agriculture, etc. The repayment rate is
96%.
Five to eight village-level MS form a Panchayat-level MS
and five to eight Panchayat-level MS form a block-level MS. At
the district level, these block level committees form a
federation.
These groups usually act as watchdogs against exploitation in
the village as they are involved in monitoring programmes of
Badlao Foundation as well as government programmes on road
construction, submit applications for various schemes,
immunization programmes and checking school attendance, etc.
There are health workers and education workers from the MS who
have been trained by the organisation. |
